Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Fabian Núñez's Lobbying Power Grows

Ex-assembly speaker Fabian Núñez became a political pariah here this year after his close friend, then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, commuted the voluntary manslaughter sentence given Núñez's son Esteban for playing a role in the 2008 fatal stabbing of Luis Dos Santos, a Mesa College student, from 16 years to 7 years.

Democrat Núñez was speaker from 2004 to 2008, during which he became friends with Republican Schwarzenegger, striking Democratic-friendly deals with him on issues including the minimum wage and global warming.

The last-minute commutation by Schwarzenegger has since been challenged in court by San Diego district attorney Bonnie Dumanis and the victim's parents.

And two weeks ago, current-governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 648, requiring the governor to give ten days' notice to the D.A. in the county where the crime happened before granting clemency, thereby allowing victims and their families to challenge sentence reductions.

Meanwhile, Núñez has been a partner with Schwarzenegger advisor Adam Mendelsohn in a high-powered lobbying and poltical business, Mercury Public Affairs.

According to the firm's website, Núñez's "influence as a national political figure is of tremendous value to Mercury clients as he is able to tap into his understanding of political, cultural, commercial and government dynamics to help advise and guide clients on the best strategies to employ and the best tactics to use to ensure the best outcome."

Of Mendelsohn it says, "Since 2007, Mr. Mendelsohn has been Schwarzenegger's political advisor, helping to manage victories on Propositions 11, 14, and 23. Currently, he works with the former governor on all his entertainment, policy, and philanthropic endeavors."

Now, the Sacramento Bee reports, Mercury is merging its Washington office with D.C. lobbying firm Clark & Weinstock to become Mercury/Clark & Weinstock.

The move is expected to give Mendelsohn and Núñez (whom the paper says will continue to run Mercury's Sacramento office) a bigger presence in the nation's capital.

"Clark & Weinstock's client list boasts major corporations and political heavyweights in the financial, health, and technology sectors, including eBay, Microsoft, General Electric, and JP Morgan Chase," the paper reports.

"Its California-based clients include Napa Valley Vintners, the Dairy Institute of California, and the Department of California Highway Patrol."

Pictured: Fabian Núñez

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Will L.A. Times crowd out San Diego U-T at Riverside printing plant?

Will Toni Atkins stand back from anti-SDG&E initiative?

Ex-assembly speaker Fabian Núñez became a political pariah here this year after his close friend, then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, commuted the voluntary manslaughter sentence given Núñez's son Esteban for playing a role in the 2008 fatal stabbing of Luis Dos Santos, a Mesa College student, from 16 years to 7 years.

Democrat Núñez was speaker from 2004 to 2008, during which he became friends with Republican Schwarzenegger, striking Democratic-friendly deals with him on issues including the minimum wage and global warming.

The last-minute commutation by Schwarzenegger has since been challenged in court by San Diego district attorney Bonnie Dumanis and the victim's parents.

And two weeks ago, current-governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 648, requiring the governor to give ten days' notice to the D.A. in the county where the crime happened before granting clemency, thereby allowing victims and their families to challenge sentence reductions.

Meanwhile, Núñez has been a partner with Schwarzenegger advisor Adam Mendelsohn in a high-powered lobbying and poltical business, Mercury Public Affairs.

According to the firm's website, Núñez's "influence as a national political figure is of tremendous value to Mercury clients as he is able to tap into his understanding of political, cultural, commercial and government dynamics to help advise and guide clients on the best strategies to employ and the best tactics to use to ensure the best outcome."

Of Mendelsohn it says, "Since 2007, Mr. Mendelsohn has been Schwarzenegger's political advisor, helping to manage victories on Propositions 11, 14, and 23. Currently, he works with the former governor on all his entertainment, policy, and philanthropic endeavors."

Now, the Sacramento Bee reports, Mercury is merging its Washington office with D.C. lobbying firm Clark & Weinstock to become Mercury/Clark & Weinstock.

The move is expected to give Mendelsohn and Núñez (whom the paper says will continue to run Mercury's Sacramento office) a bigger presence in the nation's capital.

"Clark & Weinstock's client list boasts major corporations and political heavyweights in the financial, health, and technology sectors, including eBay, Microsoft, General Electric, and JP Morgan Chase," the paper reports.

"Its California-based clients include Napa Valley Vintners, the Dairy Institute of California, and the Department of California Highway Patrol."

Pictured: Fabian Núñez

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.